See the panoramic view of the sea from these new homes for sale

If you like the idea of really being by the sea, you might like to view a new development based on the site of a former convent right opposite the beach and sea. Property editor Caroline Culot went to visit St Mary’s in Lowestoft where homes are for sale with Aldreds ranging from £160,000 to £400,000.I grew up by the sea just a bit further down the coast and I absolutely adore the sound of the waves crashing. There’s nothing like a bracing walk on the beach in the winter for clearing your head. And, there’s something really rewarding about braving the water and having a swim in the summer - even more rewarding is the hot chocolate afterwards to get the feeling back in your fingers and toes! So, I relished an invitation to see this new development of 20 homes which have been built by Cripps Developments on Rectory Road literally a pebble’s throw from the seafront and beach. Ten properties have already been sold leaving 10 available ranging from a one bedroom ground floor apartment to a three/five bedroom end terraced house.

There is a mix of properties and obviously some have better views and positions than others but for a start, the site has heritage in that it was partly converted from St Mary’s Convent, believed to date to 1925 and part of a complex of buildings for the Sisters of Mercy, an order of Catholic nuns. The announcement that the last part of the convent was going to close came in 1989 when it was sold to the Suffolk Water Company until it relocated in 2014 and the property went up for sale again.

So, there is history to this development and a variety of properties to choose from depending on what your priorities and budget are. For instance, plots 17 and 18, for sale for £395,000 and £400,000 respectively, are the two most expensive homes left for sale mainly because they offer up to five bedrooms and are positioned on the front with balconies offering sea views. Number 17 is a mid terrace and 18 the end terrace.

These houses are three storeys and come with two allocated parking spaces each. The space is utterly versatile but aimed to offer ‘upside down living’ with the living room on the first floor leading out to the balcony with that spectacular panoramic view of the sea and beach. A smart fitted kitchen and fifth bedroom/study is on the ground floor with a dining room with a bay window, a fourth bedroom/study or games room on the first floor and the top floor has three more bedrooms, an en suite and bathroom.

Te configuration differs in these two properties - number 18 comes with a really unusual shaped rear window that has been created at right angles as an added feature of interest. What I really liked was that you have good ceiling heights, some lovely features like really deep window sills and substantial staircases with attractive shaped balustrades and newel posts - little details that have been added just to create the feeling that this is a home. Outside you have communal space - but the balcony is big enough for a table and chairs but let’s face it, you have the biggest ‘garden’ of all - the promenade, beach and the sea!

I also viewed number 9, a three/ four bedroom mid terrace, for sale for £315,000. Now, this one is on the side of the development so you don’t quite get that panoramic view but you do still have a balcony and you can see the sea. This property is south facing, though, so when I visited was bathed in sunlight. Accommodation is over three storeys again on a similar design as the others on the front but with these you have an integral garage too.

Hwever, what makes this development worth considering, is that it also offers apartments - I viewed plot 3 and 5, a one bedroom ground floor and one bedroom first floor property, for sale for £160,000 and £165,000 respectively and these offer something really different. The apartments are towards the rear so don’t have the sea views but are light and spacious; you have a kitchen open plan with a living room. Again, the ceilings are high and they are big with a bedroom, bathroom and private hall off the main room. The apartments are accessed from a communal hallway. With Help to Buy available on this scheme the apartments could be purchased as an investment or as a holiday home which you let or to help your child onto the property ladder. Do the maths, it’s worth considering!

St Mary’s, Rectory Road, Lowestoft is for sale with Aldreds on 01502 565432.